We
had found a flier for the Llandudno Pier (http://the-pier.co.uk/llandudno-pier)
on our way out, and it looked like a perfect spot to visit. The day was gorgeous, high 60s and crystal
clear. The boardwalk was long, heading straight
out into the Irish Sea and offering stunning views of the coastline. Lots of people were out, taking advantage of
the weather, and Jenn and I were loving being out on the sea. The Ocean Bar was at the end of the pier, and
they had Welsh beer (perfect), so we sat down and I enjoyed a Great Orme Welsh
Black, a wonderfully malty dark mild from Colwyn Bay. The whole scene reminded me of Atlantic City,
but without the casinos. We wanted to
stay longer, but I was on a schedule, so we drove over to Conwy to see their
famous castle.
Conwy
Castle (http://www.castlewales.com/conwy.html)
sits right on the harbor, and is adjacent to the historical town, which is
surrounded by a medieval wall. It is an
impressive sight as you cross the harbor leading up to it, but it was time for
lunch, and we headed into town to find a place to eat. We first checked the Bridge Inn, but there
was no lunch service (and no new beers), so we headed to the Castle Tea Garden
to have a seat on their lanai (to use a Hawaiian phrase) that overlooked the
harbor. I had a BLT (I detect a trend)
with a Great Orme Merlyn, their Welsh Ale (tasted a lot like Felinfoel Double
Dragon), which has a more spicy finish then traditional ale. 
Now
that we were well fed, we decided to climb the castle. The view was impressive, whether you were
looking out on the harbor, up the river, or out over the town. The castle had eight towers which were each
impressive in themselves. It was amazing
to think of the castle defenders fending off attacks. We climbed several of towers, taking in the
view which was different from each, and just enjoyed being there in the
moment. Jenn wanted to do some shopping,
and I wanted to try a beer, so we headed into town and I went to the Ye Olde
Mail Coach and sat down and enjoyed a Bass mild on draft (no it wasn’t from the
jug). I found a bottle shop, Conwy Fine
Wines and got a bottle of Purple Moose Myrica Gale, made with Bog Myrtle (helps
you have more enthusiast dreams, and keeps away midges). Purple Moose is a well known northern Wales
brewer, and I was glad to fine one of their bottle beers to bring home to share
with my friends.
We
decided to climb the walls, and head up to the highest point in town for even
another different view of the city. The
bottle shop owner recommended that I try out the Albion, a local pub that was
reopened by four Welsh brewers to showcase their beers. Unfortunately, they didn’t open until 5PM,
and I still had my schedule, so we headed up the street to walk to the highest
point in the city. The wall had stairs
that were steep, and there were very little in the way of railings, so it was a
bit nerve racking to make the climb. But
the view was worth it, with Conwy Castle in the distance, and the train station
nearby. It was a lot of fun, but it was
time to move on.
We
had a hotel reservation at the Black Boy Inn, right up the street from the Caernarfon
Castle (http://www.caernarfon.com/) in
Caernarfon. This was another one of
Edward I’s castles and it appeared larger than Conwy’s. We missed the touring time, so we walked down
to the river to the Anglesey Arms to sit out with a beverage and enjoy the sun
on the river wall. I had a Marston’s
Burton Bitter on cask, and Jenn enjoyed a Pimm’s & lemonade. It was neat hearing the locals conversation,
especially since we didn’t understand a word of it. I’ve always admired bilingual people, which
appears to apply to everyone in Wales. 
We
had dinner at the Black Boy (http://www.black-boy-inn.com/home.htm),
which specialized in Welsh dishes. I had
always wanted to stay at an English pub, and this one was rated 5 stars by Trip
Advisor. We started off with an order of
Menai Strait mussels, steamed in coconut milk with lemon-grass and chili
(delicious), and I got a Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale. For dinner I passed on the steak and ale pie
(looked delicious and used Purple Moose ale) and got a rump steak encrusted in
a welsh rarebit. The dinner was
wonderful (should have passed on dessert), and we wrapped up the evening with a
nice walk around the castle at night.
Unfortunately,
staying in the pub was a bit of a problem with noise. First there was noise from the street, and
then noise from the pub, and then finally one of our neighbors had their TV on
all night listening to Welsh music (delightful, but not at 2AM). One day to go, and we could have used the
rest. Boy is being on vacation tiring. –
6000/12168
“Blessing of your heart, you brew good ale.” - William Shakespeare (The Two Gentlemen of Verona)
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